The Nets’ first half wasn’t just horrific; it was historic.
Brooklyn got hammered 121-92 at home by reigning champion Oklahoma City on Wednesday night before a sellout crowd of 17,548 at Barclays Center, putting forth one of the sorriest halves of basketball in franchise history.
Brooklyn trailed the Thunder 60-24 at the break, its lowest-scoring first half in franchise history. They were just two points away from tying the worst half by any team in the NBA shot-clock era, the 22 Phoenix tallied in 2016.
The Nets (17-52) are the first team in the league this season to be held under 100 points in four straight games, snapping a dubious tie with Milwaukee and Sacramento.
They gained momentum in a tank race resembling an Olympic 200-meter final.
The Nets dropped their fifth straight game and are 2-15 in their past 17 games. However, they remain third in the lottery standings, two games behind Indiana (pending the Pacers’ game against Portland) and a half-game behind second-place Washington.
The Pacers have lost 14 straight and the Wizards 13 in a row, displaying complete commitment to tanking, but the Nets are only now following suit, trailing by a combined 60 points at the half in their last two games with threadbare lineups.
Michael Porter Jr. missed a fourth straight game for the Nets. Jalen Wilson had a team-high 15 points off the bench, while rookie point guard Nolan Traore added 13 in a bounce-back performance.
Egor Dëmin and Day’Ron Sharpe are out for the year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander cracked the 20-point barrier for the 130th straight game, while Jared McCain — acquired from Philadelphia for a song — led the Thunder with a game-high 26 off the bench. Luguentz Dort didn’t play.
The Thunder widened their lead in the Western Conference with a 10th straight victory.
